


On the Slow Path

by Morgyn Leri (morgynleri)



Series: Darker Guardians [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe, GFY, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-10-30
Updated: 2010-10-30
Packaged: 2017-10-12 23:36:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/130393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgynleri/pseuds/Morgyn%20Leri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When chasing his brother lands Jack Harkness in 21st century Cardiff, he finds himself living life in linear time once more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not a Local Boy

  
_"I'll get the boy, you get the alien!"_   


Gray stumbled as the light faded around them, trying to pull away. He yelped as his arm was yanked roughly to keep him on his feet and close. Looking back automatically, he hoped to see the same glow of his brother chasing after them, and saw only an empty street, dimly lit with orange lights.

It didn't look like any planet he knew of, but still, anywhere was better than where he'd been for the last two years. He struggled in earnest to get his arm free of the grip of the talons that were wrapped around it, not caring if he were hurt in the process.

"If you do not stop struggling, you won't be alive for your brother to search for."

He was shaken again to emphasize the snarled words, dragged a few steps before he got his feet under him again. Snarling back as he pounded at the more sensitive flesh near the joint where the talons came together, he yanked at his arm when he felt a little bit of give. His shoulder and elbow both protested at the rough treatment, and he let out a strangled cry of pain. The sudden release made him tumble backwards onto his arse when he got free, scrabbling to shove himself backward and away.

The alien shrieked, loud and discordant, and whirled around to reach for Gray again, talons clacking loudly as they impacted pavement instead. Gray shoved himself to his feet, his eyes tearing at another stab of pain down his injured arm, and fled back the way he'd been dragged.

He hoped that there wasn't enough room here for his captor to get airborne, and make it impossible to get away from it. Dodging to one side when lights came around the corner, he darted into a narrower alley between two buildings, searching for a place to hide that wasn't exposed to the air above.

A squeal that wasn't like anything he'd heard from his captors came from behind him, followed by the slamming of doors and a far more familiar scream of rage. Gray smiled a little before scrambling towards a large bin, trying to wriggle behind it to hide.

"I'll get the boy, you get the alien!"

The voice was male, and coming closer, and Gray gave up on the bin, running again down the alley, full tilt. He couldn't get taken again, couldn't let his brother find nothing when he followed them here. He refused to believe that Jack wouldn't be able to find him, even after the creature had dragged him through a rift, displacing them in space and time.

"You'll miss all the fun, Owen!"

The other voice was female, and followed by strange pops and a roar from his captor that sounded almost like pain. Not that it mattered, except that it might make it focus on the new people, and forget about Gray long enough for him to find a place to hide where it couldn't find him before Jack did. If he didn't get caught by the man chasing him. A risk that went up when he saw the wall that blocked the alley, tall and without much in the way of handholds.

Gray spun, panting, his eyes wide as he watched the man come down the alley, gaze darting around in search of something, anything, he could use to get away. Black metal, a ladder, against the brick of the one building caught his eyes, above the bin he'd tried to hide behind earlier, and his gaze darted toward the man before he dashed for it. Ignoring the shouted plea, and the curse that followed it as he scrambled up the ladder welded to the side of the bin, and jumped for the end of the ladder that hung from the building.

His blood pounded in his ears as he climbed up the ladder, cringing away from the openness of the roof for only a moment before throwing himself over the edge. He landed heavily on the rough gravel that covered it, and shoved to his feet, running across the roof toward where he could see a door.

A whimper escaped when it wouldn't open. He couldn't stay out here, in the open, much longer. He glanced back towards the ladder he'd come up, not seeing the man yet, before looking for another way off.

Nothing presented itself in his desperate search, and he hunkered down next to a metal box on the roof, peering out around it when the crunch of gravel heralded the arrival of the man, visible as a silhouette against the orange of the street lights. Waiting for him to move, and get far enough away from the ladder that he could use it to escape back down, Gray tensed when the man turned on a torch.

Ducking back behind the housing before the light hit him, he bit his lip to keep a frustrated noise from escaping. He peeked back around when the light moved on, and watched the man - Owen, the woman had called him. A frown furrowed his brow at the lack of movement from Owen. He wasn't looking, really, just sweeping the light over the roof.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Gray shook his head mutely, not caring that he couldn't be seen, and not believing Owen for a moment. He glanced towards the edge of the roof again when he heard the unfurling of wings, scrambling away from the sound with a bit off whimper, forgetting Owen for a moment as he looked around for someplace he could wriggle into and hide. Hands came from behind him, reaching under his arms to get him to his feet, and he screamed, trying to run as soon as he had purchase on the gravel, driving his elbows back when arms wrapped around him.

~ ~~ ~

Owen grunted as the boy elbowed him in the ribs, shaking his head before changing his grip, heaving the boy up and over his shoulder, letting him drop down enough to drive the air out of him for a moment, stunning him into stillness. It wouldn't last, he knew, and he jogged for the ladder as he spoke to the kid, trying to calm him down a little.

"I told you, I'm not trying to hurt you. It's not safe around here with that alien on the street, I just want to get you where it's safe, ok?"

"Liar!" The boy's voice was sharp through the faint breathlessness, the accent one Owen couldn't place. Probably some tourist's brat who snuck out for a little adventure on his own, and got more than he bargained for. He was already starting to struggle again, and Owen wrapped his arm more firmly around the boy's legs when he tried to kick at him.

"Owen! You caught the kid yet?"

"No, I'm up on the roof for my health, Suzie!" Owen rolled his eyes, letting out a hiss of pain as the boy slammed a fist into his spine, gritting his teeth against the urge to curse again. "Would you actually do something useful, and either bring me my kit, or get the door to the roof of this building open?"

There was a laugh, followed by a teasing, "What, the kid being a bit more than you can handle?"

"I'd rather be wrestling a Weevil," Owen muttered, before letting out a yell as the boy screamed, practically in his ear, instinctively trying to dodge away from the sound without letting go of his uncooperative passenger. Difficult enough if the source hadn't been his passenger, and he stumbled, falling heavily onto his side on the sharp gravel of the roof, shoving the boy clear of him.

He heard the out-rush of breath as the boy hit the ground, and shoved himself up into a crouch as the boy got to his feet, wincing at the feel of blood starting to run down the side of his face from the lacerations that burned across his scalp. The boy looked at him for a split second before spinning, and scrambling over the edge of the roof onto the ladder.

Owen stood up, forcing himself to move despite the momentary rush of blood draining towards his feet, leaning over the roof edge to shout, "Suzie, incoming!" before following the boy down the ladder, taking two steps across the top of the bin before jumping to the ground, keeping his focus on the boy running for the end of the alley.

Suzie moved to block the boy's path as he tried to dart past the rear of the SUV, and Owen could see Hallett moving to do the same at the front of the SUV, and grimaced as he watched the boy hesitate before diving through the open door of SUV, scrambling over seats for the driver's door. If he got through, they'd have a hard time catching him, if he didn't head for the nearest hotel. He slowed, stopping at the open door as Hallett bolted for the other side, simply leaning against the door to keep it shut.

"We can drive you back to the hotel your parents are at, instead of you having to walk back. And you shouldn't be running around by yourself, anyway." Suzie shouldered him aside, looking across the seats at the kid as he huddled against the door, watching them with wary fear on his face. "What's your name?"

He shook his head, gaze flicking rapidly between them, assessing his chances of escape, Owen thought. He jumped, his eyes widening and his breathing picking up when their alien passenger shifted, snarling softly, pressing against the steering wheel. Trying to get as far away from the creature as possible.

"You're not going to get hurt..."

"Liar." The boy looked at him again, anger in his expression now, as much as fear. "You're worse than it is, pretending. You're not trying to help me, you don't know how."

"Then enlighten me," Owen snapped, sarcasm thick in his voice.

"No." The boy shook his head. "Can't."

"Why not?" Suzie shot him a sharp glare before smiling gently at the boy, trying to play placating.

Owen rolled his eyes, and stepped around to the back door, pulling it open, and dragging his medical kit out from under the seat, digging out antiseptic for his cuts, and a sedative for the kid. He'd learned long ago to keep the box stocked with everything from plasters to antivirals - there was no telling what he'd run into out in the field.

"Because I can't." The stubbornness was maddening, and Owen chuckled at the small noise of frustration from Suzie. "What's funny?"

That was directed at him, and Owen looked up, shrugging. "Can't, or won't?"

"Same thing." The boy shrugged, watching Owen warily as the medic tried to use the window as a mirror to clean out the cuts from the gravel. "Do you even care?"

"No." Owen glanced at him a moment to make sure he hadn't actually moved, shrugging. "You're not going anywhere, so why should I?"

"Because you want to catch me."

Owen snorted, raising an eyebrow. "You think I haven't done that yet?"

"Nope." The boy shook his head. "Cornering someone isn't catching them."

"Smart kid." Suzie was leaning against the open front door, watching Owen through the window of the back one. "So, you actually going to catch the kid, Owen?"

"Get in the SUV, Suzie, or close the bloody door." Owen closed the medical kit, keeping out the sedative, and shoved it back into place. "And you," he added, giving the kid a stern look as he uncapped the needle, waiting, "can move out of the driver's seat so Hallett can actually get in."

"No."

The boy shot a frightened look at the back of the SUV, and Owen took the opportunity to lean forward, jabbing the needle into the boy's calf, exposed by too-short trousers, ignoring the sharp yelp that was more indignation and anger than pain. He recapped the needle, watching the kid as he struggled to keep his eyes open, hoping that the dose was enough - it had been calibrated for creatures with less mass than a what he'd estimate to be a thirty-five kilo boy. If nothing else, he'd be more malleable while they got him back to the Hub, and got a picture of him to send to the police.

~ ~~ ~

"Harper, you need to see this." Dai beckoned Owen over to the computer banks he was ensconced behind, his eyes fixed on whatever he was watching. "I don't think that kid's local."

"Of course he's not local." Owen rolled his eyes, continuing toward the couch with the currently quiescent boy, propping him up in the corner so he could find the digital camera he had somewhere on his desk. "Probably some tourist's sprog let loose to be terrorized by the alien dragon wanna-be that came through the Rift."

"No, Harper, he's not local." Dai looked away from the computer screen to give Owen an exasperated look. "He came through the Rift with that thing. Picture's grainy, but I'm pretty sure the 'dragon wanna-be' wasn't alone, and whoever it dragged with him ran, just a little bit before you lot arrived."

Owen frowned, looking back at the kid, who was starting to look more alert now. Probably wouldn't be long before he was back to fighting them and trying to run. If he was dragged through the Rift by that alien Suzie and Lisa had taken down to the vaults, it would explain some of his behavior, at least. It would be nice to know where he'd come from. Where, and possibly when.

"You sure the kid came through with the dragon?" Owen looked back at Dai, raising an eyebrow. He didn't want to explain to London if they made a mistake.

"No one else on the street before the Rift spike. Just the two of them after, until you lot showed up." Dai gave Owen a patient look. "We're going to have to take him to Flat Holme, nothing else to be done."

Grimacing, Owen looked over at the kid again, shaking his head after a moment. "Not tonight. I'm not giving him another dose of sedative yet. Unless you want to go find a way to keep him from bolting the first chance he has?" He smirked as Dai shook his head. "I'll take the rest of tonight's shift, keep an eye on the kid."

"Don't break the computer this time." Dai gave Owen a sharp glare, even as he reached for the jacket draped across the back of his chair.

"I already promised I wouldn't download porn through the Hub's connection." Owen gave Dai his most innocent smile, which only made him snort and shake his head.

"Don't break your face, Harper."

~ ~~ ~

Gray struggled to get off the sofa as the two men bantered, gritting his teeth against the lethargy that still dragged at him. He needed to get out of here, needed to find his way back to where the rift had spat them out. He froze when Owen glanced in his direction, glaring back at him, anger warming him and burning away some of the heavy feeling in his limbs. Not enough, as the man not Owen bounded for the far side of the room, the large cog proving to be a door, rolling back after a moment's pause in front of a keypad to one side.

There was near silence for a long moment after he left, broken only by the steady drip of water down the gleaming pillar that ran up the middle of the room, and the soft hum of electronics. Owen didn't speak, just moved to sit in a chair in front of a cluttered desk that had a small picture of him and a woman in one corner. Spinning the chair just enough to prop his feet up on a clear spot, and leaning back to ostensibly watch the ceiling.

Looking up, Gray saw mostly shadows, and a couple metal walkways that crossed the space somewhere between where they were and the roof overhead. No sign of windows, the walls mostly brick. He frowned before shaking his head, trying to focus again on getting up. There was a way out, somewhere. Other than the door that the man had gone out.

"His name is Dai."

Gray froze when Owen spoke, shooting a wary look in his direction. He hadn't moved, except maybe to shift down in his chair a bit. Still looking up at the ceiling as if there was something interesting there. Or as if he was trying to pretend not to watch Gray.

"He's right, you know. If you're not from around here, and you're human, we can't keep you here. Hub isn't the place for a kid, anyway."

"What's Flat Holme?"

Curiosity colored his voice, and he told himself that it was the only reason he was asking instead of running. He wriggled forward a bit more on the sofa, smiling a bit when his feet touched the floor.

"An island. And the facility on it, for people who come back through the Rift."

"Anyone who comes through the rift here?"

Owen tilted his head to the side, watching Gray for a long moment, his expression unreadable. "Anyone human."

Gray met his gaze, refusing to look away, despite the faint shiver that ran down his spine at the flat tone of Owen's voice. Curious about what was behind that, but not so much that he'd ask. It was safer not to ask too many questions, when someone sounded like that.

"Where is it?"

How far away, how much of a chance did he have of finding his way back to where his brother would be looking for him. Even though he knew his brother should be able to find him no matter where he was - he'd found Gray on a planet far from their home, after all. Still, he didn't want Jack to have to search further than he absolutely had to.

"In the Bristol Channel, south of here." Owen shrugged, turning his head to look back at the ceiling. "Not that far, just a quick trip over in the morning, and we'll set you up with a room."

"What if I don't want to go there?"

"Torchwood doesn't maintain any other facilities for people who come through the Rift. And the expense account doesn't cover creating identities for people temporally displaced."

"Why not?"

Gray leaned forward some, shifting his weight more onto the balls of his feet, hands curling around the edge of the sofa. Hoping Owen didn't move into a position easier to get up and chase him from.

"Because London's staffed by self-centered, bureaucratic bastards who decided Cardiff needed a tighter leash after the one supervisor massacred the field agents on New Year's Eve six years ago." Owen paused, glancing at Gray out of the corner of his eye before adding, "There isn't a way in or out of the Hub that doesn't require a code of some sort. You might as well sleep, because I'm not letting you back outside."


	2. Just Visiting

_"I like vicious. Especially when it comes with gorgeous."_

He'd been careful in trying not to land right on top of Gray and the bastard who'd taken him, but Jack wondered if he shouldn't have tried for closer - in both time and location. His wrist strap had found no sign of Gray, and without a direction to start looking in, he couldn't narrow the search radius, not yet. Frowning, he flipped it shut, pulling the sleeve of the stolen greatcoat over it as he surveyed the city around him. The adrenaline that still surged through his veins focusing his mind as he figured out what to do next. Continue searching in the here-and-now for them both, or get closer to where they'd have come through the rift if he could, and hope he didn't find signs that the alien had jumped again. He didn't want another dead-end.

Opening the wrist-strap again, he changed the settings on the scan, searching for rift-manipulating technology rather than his brother's life-signs themselves, and raised an eyebrow when it picked up a larger signature than he'd expected, down near the bay. Along with a fainter one that barely registered against the larger one, likewise near the bay. Jack snorted, shaking his head as he set the coordinates, glad for the barely-dawn hour when he appeared between buildings with more of a lurch than he'd expected, like he'd been bounced from his intended landing site. Diverted, and left standing somewhere above the signatures he was tracking.

"Well, someone has something they shouldn't," he murmured to himself, grinning slightly as he tried to map out where the interference was effecting, raising an eyebrow at the expanse of some underground structure. Certainly something he'd expect not to be overlooked by humanity, not in the middle of a metropolis. There was nothing, though, in the history records about something like this, and his grin widened at the chance to get to meddle with unwritten history.

It didn't take much to find the boundaries of the interference, but it would take more time than he wanted to waste to search along those edges for a way in. Jack shook his head, and leaned against the wall of one of the buildings where he had a decent view of both the alley between the buildings and the open space that stretched in front of where he'd landed. Watching the handful of people who were out this early in the morning as he waited for someone to come looking for him.

~ ~~ ~

"You think it's another one of those dragon aliens?"

Suzie's voice was quiet in Owen's ear as he scanned the waterfront, gun pointed at the ground as he slowly moved toward the Plass. Having the Rift alarm go off twice in one morning, the second showing practically on their doorstep, was enough excitement without this one being another of the sort of alien they'd rescued the boy from the week before. He muttered as much to Suzie, moving up the stairs toward the coffee shop, ignoring the strange looks he got from the couple of tourists already out and about.

"And I think the tourists would probably be panicking a bit more if it was another one of those," he added, keeping close to the coffee shop, his back to it as he sidled around. "Seeing anything weird out on the Plass?"

"Not really." There was a bit of a frustrated sigh. "Just tourists giving me funny looks for the gun."

Owen snorted, looking up the street, looking for anyone or anything out of place, and grimaced at the continued lack of anything beyond the early-morning tourists and a handful of shop-staff hurrying in for their shifts. No one that stood out, and no fear in the faces he saw, so whatever it was couldn't be too alien. He just hoped that whoever, or whatever, it was, hadn't managed to blend in with the crowd. "Tourists and baristas and shop-girls here," he shot back finally, plastering on a brief attempt at a reassuring smile as he headed down the street. "Where exactly was that spike?"

"Just outside the Thai place Dai likes to nip up to for dinner when it's his turn to choose where we're eating, outside the building. The fountain is blocking my view of the site."

"And you can't be arsed to peek?" Owen rolled his eyes at Suzie's answering huff, keeping close to the shop fronts as he worked his way to the alley between the buildings.

"Risk my neck when you've got better cover and can get a closer look? You're out of your mind, Owen," Suzie shot back without real heat in her volley. "It's your turn to face off with whatever, anyway."

Shaking his head, Owen paused just shy of the mouth of the alley, taking in a deep breath before he looked around the corner, peering down the dark gap between the buildings. There was nothing, and no one except a man in a vintage great coat leaning against the wall. He sighed as he leaned against the wall, keeping his gun pointed at the ground. "Just a bloke in a coat. Another human misplaced in time. Looks like he's a refugee from World War Two."

"Brilliant." Suzie paused, and Owen could easily imagine her finally taking the risk of looking around the edge of the bloody fountain. "Watch yourself, Owen, he's moving toward you."

"Probably trying to figure out where he is, and wondering how he got here," Owen murmured, sliding the gun back into the holster at his thigh, and taking a deep breath as he tried to lean casually against the building. Waiting for the man to come out of the alley, watching him cautiously out of the corner of his eye as he looked around. Certainly dressed like he came out of the fourties, but the lack of confusion made Owen suspect he hadn't accidentally slipped through the Rift. No confusion, no surprise, just confidence and purpose. Looking for something.

The man spun a split second before Owen heard Suzie's muttered expletive over his com, his hand going towards his coat pocket a moment before he stopped, spreading his hands wide with a smile that made Owen bite back a snort of amusement.

"If I'd known someone would send such a pretty welcoming committee, I'd have tried to sneak in sooner." His tone was light, almost flirting, matching the smile on his face. "Though, really, your colleague doesn't need the gun, does she?"

Owen straightened, turning to actually face the man with a frown on his face. "Excuse me?"

"Or are you not actually working together?" He glanced over at Owen, sidling towards the far wall of the alley, where he'd have a clear view of them both, and a wall at his back instead of another approach.

"Who are you?" Owen didn't answer the question, studying the man closely now that he had a better look at him. There was something vaguely familiar about him, though from where, Owen couldn't remember.

"Captain Jack Harkness, and you are?"

"Torchwood," Suzie snapped before Owen could say anything, her voice closer now, though Owen hadn't moved far enough away from the wall to see where she was in the alley. "Where are you from, why are you here?"

"Just visiting, decided to do a little touring." Jack flashed them another bright smile. One that Owen didn't believe for a moment, and reminded him uneasily of a wolf lazily yawning to show off its teeth. "You have any recommendations?"

"Not antagonizing the lady with the gun?" Owen gave Jack a sharp look. "She's vicious when she's pissed off."

"I like vicious." Jack flicked a glance at Owen before looking back at Suzie again, keeping his attention more focused on her. "Especially when it comes with gorgeous."

"Why did you come here, really?" Suzie didn't sound like she believed Jack any more than Owen did. "Tourists don't try sneaking into locked and alarmed buildings."

"I told you, just visiting."

~ ~~ ~

Jack gave the woman a warm smile, keeping a careful eye on the gun she held. It wouldn't do Gray any good for him to get shot now, before he had a chance to find him. If these people could be any help in doing that.

"Visiting on business or pleasure?" She lowered the gun slowly, aiming it at the ground at her feet, still watching him warily. "From where? How?"

"You don't really expect me to answer all your questions, do you?" Jack slid his hands into his pockets, one hand curling around the familiar shape of his sonic blaster. "Why do you care why I'm here, or where I'm from?"

"Because we're Torchwood, and you're either not from this time, this planet, or both." The man answered, continuing the tag-teaming they'd started earlier.

"So your some sort of customs agency for this rift?" Jack gave him an amused look that was returned with a glare. "What's your name?"

"Harper." It wasn't his full name, no doubt, but Jack doubted he'd get it from Harper - though it was more than his female colleague appeared willing to provide, if the narrow-eyed glare she shot in Harper's direction was any indication. "Most visitors through the Rift end up in a cell..."

"Harper!" The woman interrupted him with an angry snarl. "Shut up."

"If he's deliberately visiting, do you think we're really going to keep him here, Costello?" Harper shifted a step forward, where he would have a line of sight to Costello, and closer to Jack.

He turned his head slightly so he could look more directly at Harper, without taking his attention entirely off of Costello. The mention that visitors ended up in cells bothered him, and he smiled cheerfully, trying to hide his uneasiness. He didn't like the mental image he was putting together, of Gray trapped in whatever sort of place these people put him. "I wasn't looking for that sort of kinky, but if you're offering, I'm flexible. What sort of cell, where?" he asked with a bit of a leer.

"The sort that isn't fun, and I'm not telling you where." Harper spoke before Costello could tell him to shut up again, holding Jack's gaze steadily. Almost like he was looking for something. "What are you looking for, then?"

"Do you have something worth finding in this city?" Jack shifted his weight into a wider stance, his hand tightening around the blaster. "And is everyone this unfriendly?"

"No, just us." Harper tensed at his shift of posture, reaching for the gun at his side. "Can't help you find anything if you don't tell us what you're looking for."

"I didn't say I was looking for anything." Just looking for somebody, and he wasn't about to share that with these two. Not unless he had an advantage that he could use to get information out of them that might actually help.

"Right." Costello snorted, her expression conveying her disbelief clearly. "Why are you here?" she asked again as she brought her gun up again in a two-handed grip.

"Because I can be. Do I need any other reason?" Jack frowned as Harper moved toward him, pulling his empty hand out of his pocket to gesture him to stop, even if he didn't think Harper would actually do so. "You planning on making me give you a reason?"

"Part of the job." She smiled, a predatory flash of teeth. "Didn't you listen to Harper telling you that visitors through the Rift end up in a cell?"

"Yeah. That's what I was worried about." Jack ducked to one side as he moved forward at her, hissing at the noise of the gun, and the burn of a bullet as the shot scored across his shoulder. He left his blaster in his pocket, grabbing her hands, and forcing her aim up and away from him as he used his momentum to slam them both against the wall behind her.

Costello let out her breath with a grunt, and Jack felt her grip on the gun loosening, letting him take it from her as she glared at him. He frowned, starting to pull away, turning his head to look over at Harper an instant too late. He felt the metal contacts against his skin before the shock jolted through him, with unconsciousness following close behind it.

~ ~~ ~

"You get all the bloody fun." Hallett flopped onto the couch next to Owen, leaning back as she closed her eyes. "There was nothing up at the castle except some residual energy from the Rift spike. No sign of whatever came through anywhere."

"It was just another human to take across to Flat Holme." Owen had argued with Suzie the entire way down to the cells with Jack slung between them on that. He didn't want to tell London about their guest, or his claim to have deliberately come visiting through the Rift. Which meant taking him to Flat Holme, and keeping their report clear of any mention of his claims or the technology they'd taken off him. "Nothing extraordinary."

Hallett raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look a moment before shrugging. "Still, rather that than a wild goose chase."

"Whatever." Owen shoved off the sofa, heading for the cells. "I'll go check on him, and take him over to the facility in the morning."

He didn't relax until he was out of Hallett's sight, pausing to close his eyes a moment, taking a deep breath. It had been the temptation of a project she didn't have to share that had convinced Suzie to keep things quiet, though right now, Owen was trying to figure out why he'd been so sure it was better to keep Hallett and London in the dark about Jack. The niggling feeling that he should recognize Jack's face aside, there really wasn't anything to make him any more special than anyone else that came through the Rift with technology or knowledge that Torchwood could use.

Shaking his head, Owen started moving again, hurrying down to the cells to look in on their latest temporary guest. He wasn't entirely surprised to find Jack awake and leaning against the wall, watching the door with a hint of a smile on his face, and hands in his pockets.

"The walls are a bit bland, and the company could use some improvement, you know. I was starting to get bored down here." Jack raised an eyebrow at Owen as he came to stand on the other side of the transparent front wall of the cell, his smile fading a bit. "What did you plan to do with me?"

"We have a facility we'll transfer you to tomorrow morning. It's not any more exciting than here, but it's better than London." Owen kept his voice low, his body angled to keep his back to the CCTV. No need to have anyone read his lips and figure out what he was telling Jack.

"I'll take your word for it, but I really can't be staying." Jack straightened, meeting Owen's gaze squarely. "Where's my wrist-strap?"

"Costello has it, and the gun from your pocket."

"It's not a toy, Harper." Jack's brows lowered, glaring at him. "I need it back."

"I can't do that." Owen shrugged, sliding his hands into his own pockets. "Procedures and all that." Ones that he'd already broken, just by keeping the existence of the advanced gun and whatever the device Jack had worn on his wrist out of his report.

"You could just get it back, and let me go."

"Why?" Owen raised an eyebrow in an echo of Jack's earlier expression. "The equipment already recorded a Rift spike, and London's not going to believe there was nothing when you landed practically on top of the Hub. I'm not loosing my job over one person. And they won't believe an escape, either. Not from here."

"But they might, from this other facility." Jack looked skeptical, and Owen shrugged. It wasn't really likely they'd accept an escape from Flat Holme, either, but it wouldn't be his job on the line if Jack broke out of there. "It'd be easier if you brought me my wrist-strap in the morning."

"Ask Costello for it back, I'm not going to tell her she can't study it." Owen looked up at the faint creak of a door, and shook his head at Jack when he opened his mouth, adding quietly, "If London finds out, you'll be interrogated, and probably killed when they can't find any other use for you. If you really would rather that, fine, but I'd rather not be party to a murder I can prevent."

The door to the cell block opened a moment later, Suzie slipping through the opening, and closing it behind her. "Hallett's going to try to get the boat to take our guest over this afternoon, instead of waiting for the supply run tomorrow morning, if he's in good enough shape to ship over now." She raised an eyebrow at him. "No reason to quarantine him here for longer than that, is there?"

Owen glanced at the camera, rolling his eyes for the benefit of whoever was watching. "Everyone there's got all their vaccinations, and he's not showing any side-effects from having been stun-gunned."

"Good." Suzie pressed her lips together a moment, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly as if she was trying to repress a smirk, before turning and leaving. That was never a good sign.


End file.
